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1 – 10 of over 5000The purpose of this paper is to showcase that the integration of academic assessment with workplace performance appraisal practices can help to address the gap between graduate…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to showcase that the integration of academic assessment with workplace performance appraisal practices can help to address the gap between graduate employability skills and employers’ requirements. Employability refers to learning of transferable skills.
Design/methodology/approach
The integrated assessment criteria grid by which the quality of the assignments may be judged was developed and discussed with the students. Grades achieved by each assessment criterion are analysed and inferred as to whether students have learned the desired transferable skills.
Findings
Such integration strengthens the theoretical argument on the importance of formative assessment as a way to nurture students’ learning. The transferable skills that students appeared to have learnt include “use of relevant data, meticulous, attention to details, structure & systems thinking, critical thinking and writing skill”.
Research limitations/implications
Only one cohort of students is involved and their participation in the discussion is on a voluntary basis. The paper was not able to address students who did not appear to have learnt the transferable skills.
Practical implications
Employers are more cognisant of the quality of the management students graduating from this university. The learning of transferable skills reflects creativity development, and this contributes to the theory of knowledge which emphasises the importance of developing creativity through education.
Originality/value
This paper introduces a new form of formative assessment as a way to nurture students’ learning of transferable skills within a coursework assignment setting.
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Brendan Boyle, Rebecca Mitchell, Anthony McDonnell, Narender Sharma, Kumar Biswas and Stephen Nicholas
This paper explores the challenge of “fuzzy” assessment criteria and feedback with a view to aiding student learning. The paper untangles three guiding principles as mechanisms to…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper explores the challenge of “fuzzy” assessment criteria and feedback with a view to aiding student learning. The paper untangles three guiding principles as mechanisms to enhance the effectiveness of assessment and feedback through overcoming the inherent challenges which stem from tacit judgement during assessment.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper applies a realistic evaluation methodology, with a framework for assessment and feedback consisting of three principles – Means, Opportunity and Motivation (MOM). Through in-depth interviews with undergraduate and postgraduate management students the paper identifies how and when the means, opportunity and motivation principles impact student learning through assessment and the utility of the feedback received on their learning.
Findings
The findings in the paper illustrate that students do not always understand the feedback they receive on their learning because they do not fully understand the criteria to which it refers due to the tacit dimensions of assessment. The findings substantiate the proposition that effective assessment processes must ensure that students have the means, opportunity and motivation to use feedback and to understand the criteria, a central component of which is understanding tacit dimensions of assessment.
Practical implications
The paper deciphers three practical implications for instructors related to (1) teaching, (2) course and program design and (3) the nature of the feedback instructors should provide.
Originality/value
While prior scholarship has flagged the challenge of “fuzzy” assessment and feedback, this paper identifies when and how the means, opportunity and motivation principles are manifested in the process of making the tacit components of assessment codified and actionable, a critical process in developing expert learners.
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In this paper, knowledge concerning the meaning of knowing the object of learning is developed using learning study as a research approach. The purpose of this paper is to show…
Abstract
Purpose
In this paper, knowledge concerning the meaning of knowing the object of learning is developed using learning study as a research approach. The purpose of this paper is to show how the object of learning, in this case, playing with groove in rhythmic sequences, can be analysed and recognised using phenomenography.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper reports on a learning study conducted in three different fifth grade elementary school classes. Seven music teachers were involved in preparing the pre-test, designing three research lessons and analysing the material.
Findings
The findings show that several aspects of the object of learning must be discerned by the learner in order to experience the chosen object of learning and develop in the learning situation. The phenomenographic analysis contributed to refining the meaning of the object of learning.
Originality/value
In a learning study, knowledge concerning the meaning of the object of learning is generated. The development and specification of this knowledge will be empirically revealed through the analysis process. This paper will contribute to the discussion concerning what must be known in order to develop a specific capability in music education, namely, the capability to feel the groove.
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Smart grid is an integration between traditional electricity grid and communication systems and networks. Providing reliable services and functions is a critical challenge for the…
Abstract
Purpose
Smart grid is an integration between traditional electricity grid and communication systems and networks. Providing reliable services and functions is a critical challenge for the success and diffusion of smart grids that needs to be addressed. The purpose of this study is to determine the critical criteria that affect smart grid reliability from the perspective of users and investigate the role big data plays in smart grid reliability.
Design/methodology/approach
This study presents a model to investigate and identify criteria that influence smart grid reliability from the perspective of users. The model consists of 12 sub-criteria covering big data management, communication system and system characteristics aspects. Multi-criteria decision-making approach is applied to analyze data and prioritize the criteria using the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process based on the triangular fuzzy numbers. Data was collected from 16 experts in the fields of smart grid and Internet of things.
Findings
The results show that the “Big Data Management” criterion has a significant impact on smart grid reliability followed by the “System Characteristics” criterion. The “Data Analytics” and the “Data Visualization” were ranked as the most influential sub-criteria on smart grid reliability. Moreover, sensitivity analysis has been applied to investigate the stability and robustness of results. The findings of this paper provide useful implications for academicians, engineers, policymakers and many other smart grid stakeholders.
Originality/value
The users are not expected to actively participate in smart grid and its services without understanding their perceptions on smart grid reliability. Very few works have studied smart grid reliability from the perspective of users. This study attempts to fill this considerable gap in literature by proposing a fuzzy model to prioritize smart grid reliability criteria.
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The purpose of this study is to establish a hierarchy of critical success factors to develop a framework for evaluating the performance of smart grids from a sustainability…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to establish a hierarchy of critical success factors to develop a framework for evaluating the performance of smart grids from a sustainability perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
The fuzzy analytical hierarchy process is used in this study to assess and determine the relative weight of economic, operational and environmental criteria. At the same time, the evidential reasoning algorithm is used to determine the belief degree of expert’s opinion, and the expected utility theory for the crisp value of success factors in performance estimation.
Findings
The finding reveals that success factors associated with the economic criteria receive significantly more attention from the expert group. Sensitivity analysis indicates the ranking of consumer satisfaction remains stable no matter how criteria weights are changed, which verifies the robustness and effectiveness of the proposed model and evaluation results.
Originality/value
The study presents a solid mathematical framework for collaborative system modeling and systematic analysis. Managers and stakeholders may use the proposed technique as a flexible tool to improve the energy system’s resiliency in a systematic way.
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This paper analyses the performance criteria and learning objectives contained in the first 22 QAA subject benchmark statements to be published and considers the implications for…
Abstract
This paper analyses the performance criteria and learning objectives contained in the first 22 QAA subject benchmark statements to be published and considers the implications for assessment. There is much variation in the amount of detail in the statements and there are also implicit performance criteria in the intended learning outcomes listed at the beginning of each. Statements are broad in character so their relationship with standards is loosely‐coupled and open to interpretation. It is argued that attempts to achieve a high degree of precision in specification are likely to prove counter‐productive. There is evidence of some lack of coherence within the benchmark statements and between the statements and the more recently published Level H descriptor in the National Qualifications Framework. Further, the relationship between assessment practice and the statements appears to be problematic. The value of benchmarking statements as an aid to professional conversation about standards would be greatly enhanced if subject communities, perhaps facilitated by Learning and Teaching Support Network subject centres and subject associations, can elaborate for themselves the meanings of words used in the statements of learning outcomes and performance criteria. This elaboration would be aided by the appraisal of exemplars of outcomes at various levels of performance.
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The Repertory Grid Technique, a psychologicalmethod capable of elucidating both the person‐jobmatch and the job‐person match in employeeselection, is presented. Potential…
Abstract
The Repertory Grid Technique, a psychological method capable of elucidating both the person‐job match and the job‐person match in employee selection, is presented. Potential applications for RGT Methodology in job analysis and decision making are proposed and practical recommendations for incorporating the technique in organisational recruitment procedures, stressing the potential benefits, are suggested.
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Stefania Boglietti, Martina Carra, Massimiliano Sotgiu, Benedetto Barabino, Michela Bonera and Giulio Maternini
Nowadays, the increase in the capacity of batteries has laid the foundations for a broader diffusion of electric mobility. However, electric mobility is causing a growing…
Abstract
Nowadays, the increase in the capacity of batteries has laid the foundations for a broader diffusion of electric mobility. However, electric mobility is causing a growing electricity demand as well as the need to increase the diffusion of suitable charging stations. Within these last challenges, drawing on the recent literature, this chapter provides a critical and wide-ranging review of papers dealing with the formulation of the problem of the localisation of electric vehicle (EV) charging points. This problem is approached considering the electric charging infrastructure technologies, localisation criteria and related methodologies. This review shows how the ‘electric mobility revolution’ applies the technological innovations provided by the energy supply systems, and the location of these systems within the urban contexts. Since the technological innovations have different options, achieving an international standard of charging systems is still far away. Moreover, as there are several criteria, parameters and methodologies, and some analytical approaches for the localisation of electric vehicle charging points, the formulation of the ‘localisation’ problem should require the application of multi-criteria analysis to be addressed. Finally, the results show that there is no consensus on technologies, criteria, and methodologies to be adopted. Therefore, this wide-ranging analysis of the literature would be useful to support possible benchmarking and systematisation accordingly.
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Sarah E. Crudge and Frances C. Johnson
The purpose of this research is to explore a method for the determination of users' representations of search engines, formed during their interaction with these systems…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to explore a method for the determination of users' representations of search engines, formed during their interaction with these systems. Determines the extent to which these elicited “mental models” indicate the system aspects of importance to the user and from this their evaluative view of these tools.
Design/methodology/approach
The repertory grid technique is used to elicit a set of constructs that define facets within the mental model of an individual. A related technique of laddering then considers each of the user's constructs to determine the reasons for its importance within the user's mental model.
Findings
The model derived from the qualitative data comprises three hierarchical strata and conveys the interrelations between basic system description, evaluative description, and the key evaluations of ease, efficiency, effort and effectiveness. Two additional layers relating to the perceived process and the experience of emotion are also discussed.
Research limitations/implications
Ten participants is considered to be optimum for obtaining constructs in a repertory grid, but limits the findings to the context of the user group and the systems used in this study.
Originality/value
The methodology has not previously been used to determine mental models of search engines and from these to understand users' evaluative view of systems. The resulting model of key evaluations with the conjunctions of procedural elements suggests a framework for further research to evaluate search engines from the user perspective.
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The purpose of this research is to study how compliance evaluation becomes performed in practice. Compliance evaluation is a common practice among organizations that need to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to study how compliance evaluation becomes performed in practice. Compliance evaluation is a common practice among organizations that need to evaluate their posture against a set of criteria (e.g. a standard, legislative framework and “best practices”). The results of these evaluations have significant importance for organizations, especially in the context of information security and continuity. The author argues that how these evaluations become performed is not merely a “social” activity but shaped by the materiality of the evaluation criteria
Design/methodology/approach
The authors adopt a sociomaterial practice-based view to study the compliance evaluation through in situ participant observations from compliance evaluation workshops to evaluate organizational compliance against a information security and business continuity criteria. The empirical material was analyzed to construct vignettes that serve to illustrate the practice of compliance evaluation.
Findings
The research analysis shows how the information security and business continuity criteria themselves partake in the compliance evaluations by operating through (ventriloqually) the evaluators on three strata: the material, the textual and the structural. The author also provides a conceptualization of a hybrid agency.
Originality/value
This research contributes to lack of studies on the organizational-level compliance. Further, the research is an original contribution to information security and business continuity management by focusing on the practices of compliance evaluation. Further, the research has theoretical novelty by adopting the ventriloqual agency as a hybrid agency to study the sociomateriality of a phenomenon.
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